Patents by Inventor Sean Dennis

Sean Dennis has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 8376736
    Abstract: The invention relates to methods of capturing carbon by microbial fermentation of a gaseous substrate comprising CO. The methods of the invention include converting CO to one or more products including alcohols and/or acids and optionally capturing CO2 to improve overall carbon capture. In certain aspects, the invention relates to processes for producing alcohols, particularly ethanol, from industrial waste streams, particularly steel mill off-gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2013
    Assignee: LanzaTech New Zealand Limited
    Inventors: Sean Dennis Simpson, Christophe Collet, Richard Llewellyn Sydney Forster, Michael Charles Milner Cockrem, Simon David Oakley
  • Patent number: 8354269
    Abstract: The invention relates to improvements in the production of alcohols by microbial fermentation, particularly to production of alcohols by microbial fermentation of substrates comprising CO. It more particularly relates to the provision of an improved fermentation media, comprising nickel, to a fermentation system such that one or more micro-organisms convert a substrate comprising CO to one or more alcohols, such as ethanol. In particular embodiments, a microbial culture is provided with at least 10 ?M nickel, such that CO uptake by the microbial culture increases and ethanol productivity improves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2013
    Assignee: LanzaTech New Zealand Limited
    Inventors: Sean Dennis Simpson, Ian Lindstrand Warner, Jennifer Mon Yee Eung, Michael Kopke
  • Publication number: 20120331117
    Abstract: A personal presentity presence service provides support for heterogeneous presentities. Presentity types including personal presentities are registered with a presentity manifest store that includes information such as type names, addresses of applications associated with actions related to the presentity type, application parameters, icons for watcher application, and the like. Personal presentity service identifies the personal presentity types associated with the user and automatically organizes these into a personal presence group for management and presentation purposes. Users (watchers) can then register for different groups of personal presentities, which are devices and systems personally associated with the user, based on a type of presentity and receive updated presence information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 7, 2012
    Publication date: December 27, 2012
    Applicant: AT&T INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY I, L.P.
    Inventors: Hong Thi Nguyen, Michael Sean Denny
  • Publication number: 20120309075
    Abstract: A biologically pure isolate of a selected bacterium derived from Clostridium autoethanogenum is described which has improved efficiency in the production of ethanol by anaerobic fermentation of substrates comprising carbon monoxide. The bacterium can produce ethanol and acetate at an ethanol to acetate ratio of at least 1.0 and has a productivity of at least 1.2 g of ethanol/l of fermentation broth per day. The bacterium is also characterized in that it has substantially no ability to sporulate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2012
    Publication date: December 6, 2012
    Applicant: LANZATECH NEW ZEALAND LIMITED
    Inventors: Sean Dennis Simpson, Richard Llewellyn Sydney Forster, Phuong Loan Tran, Matthew James Rowe, Ian Linstrand Warner
  • Publication number: 20120309066
    Abstract: The invention relates to processes for converting CO by microbial fermentation to one or more products including alcohols and/or acids and optionally capturing CO2 to improve overall carbon capture. More particularly the invention relates to a method for producing one or more products from a CO comprising substrate, the method comprising a natural gas reforming step for producing a syngas stream, and converting at least a portion of CO from the syngas stream to one or more products including ethanol.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 16, 2012
    Publication date: December 6, 2012
    Applicant: LANZATECH NEW ZEALAND LIMITED
    Inventors: Sean Dennis SIMPSON, Richard Llewellyn Sydney FORSTER, Simon David OAKLEY, Michael Charles Milner COCKREM, Michael KOEPKE
  • Patent number: 8316117
    Abstract: A personal presentity presence service provides support for heterogeneous presentities. Presentity types including personal presentities are registered with a presentity manifest store that includes information such as type names, addresses of applications associated with actions related to the presentity type, application parameters, icons for watcher application, and the like. Personal presentity service identifies the personal presentity types associated with the user and automatically organizes these into a personal presence group for management and presentation purposes. Users (watchers) can then register for different groups of personal presentities, which are devices and systems personally associated with the user, based on a type of presentity and receive updated presence information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2012
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
    Inventors: Hong Thi Nguyen, Michael Sean Denny
  • Patent number: 8293509
    Abstract: The invention relates to biological processes for producing one or more desired products, including alcohols such as ethanol and butanol. The processes comprise carrying out first and second fermentations of substrates in first and second bioreactors, wherein each fermentation produces one or more desired products and/or one or more by-products that can be utilized in the other fermentation. A product and/or by-product of the first fermentation is introduced to the second bioreactor during the fermentation, and a product and/or by-product of the second fermentation is introduced to the first bioreactor during the fermentation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2012
    Assignee: LanzaTech New Zealand Limited
    Inventors: Sean Dennis Simpson, Richard Llewellyn Sydney Forster, Matthew James Rowe, Phuong Loan Tran, Christophe Collet
  • Publication number: 20120252082
    Abstract: Methods for improving the efficiency of 2,3-butanediol fermentations are disclosed. More specifically methods of increasing the butanediol productivity from the anaerobic fermentation of a substrate comprising carbon monoxide or carbon monoxide and hydrogen by one or more caboxydotrophic acetogenic bacteria are disclosed. The method includes supplying a hydrogen depleted substrate to increase butanediol productivity. The method includes producing butanediol at a volumetric productivity rate of at least 15 g/L/day.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 30, 2012
    Publication date: October 4, 2012
    Applicant: LANZATECH NEW ZEALAND LIMITED
    Inventors: Sean Dennis Simpson, Christophe Collet, Christophe Daniel Mihalcea, Joshua Jeremy Conolly, Guy William Waters
  • Publication number: 20120218362
    Abstract: A process for forming an image on a substrate, comprises depositing ink compositions of at least two colours onto the substrate to form the image, and fixing the image to the substrate, wherein the ink is deposited using an electrostatic printhead, which ejects chargeable marking particles dispersed in a carrier fluid by using an applied electric field to first concentrate and then eject the marking particles, and wherein all of the ink compositions are deposited onto the substrate before the image is fixed. An ink composition suitable for use in the invention comprises: 45-95% by weight of a carrier liquid; 6-40% by weight of insoluble chargeable marking particles; and 0.4-10% by weight of a soluble dispersant, characterised in that the ink does not contain an agent that can fix the marking particles to a substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 14, 2010
    Publication date: August 30, 2012
    Inventors: Sean Dennis Slater, Andrew John Clippingdale, Guy Charles Fernley Newcombe
  • Patent number: 8222013
    Abstract: A novel class of bacteria is described which has improved efficiency in the production of thanol by anaerobic fermentation of substrates containing carbon monoxide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2012
    Assignee: LanzaTech New Zealand Limited
    Inventors: Sean Dennis Simpson, Richard Llewellyn Sydney Forster, Phuong Loan Tran, Matthew James Rowe, Ian Linstrand Warner
  • Patent number: 8178330
    Abstract: The invention relates to the microbial fermentation of gaseous substrates, particularly to gas/liquid contact modules and bioreactors configured to improve the efficiency of fermentations, particularly microbial fermentations of substrates comprising CO. In a particular embodiment, a gas/liquid contact module with multiple channels is configured to produce products in a liquid fermentation broth. In a further particular embodiment, there is provided a method of fermentation of a gaseous substrate to produce a product in a liquid fermentation broth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2012
    Assignee: Lanza Tech New Zealand Limited
    Inventors: Simon Richard Trevethick, Jason Carl Bromley, Sean Dennis Simpson, Vinod Khosla
  • Patent number: 8119844
    Abstract: The invention relates to methods for the production of alcohols by microbial fermentation, particularly microbial fermentation of substrates comprising glycerol and/or acetate, to butanol.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2012
    Assignee: LanzaTech New Zealand Limited
    Inventors: Richard Llewellyn Sydney Forster, Sean Dennis Simpson, Christophe Collet
  • Patent number: 8119378
    Abstract: The invention relates to the production of alcohols by microbial fermentation, particularly to production of alcohols by microbial fermentation of substrates comprising CO. It more particularly relates to processes for the production of alcohols from their corresponding acids in the presence of a substrate comprising CO. In particular embodiments, a fermentation reaction producing acid(s) and optionally alcohol(s) is perturbed such that at least a portion one or more of acid(s) is converted to alcohol.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2012
    Assignee: LanzaTech New Zealand Limited
    Inventors: Sean Dennis Simpson, Christophe Collet, Phuong Loan Tran, Bakir Al-Sinawi, Richard Llewellyn Sydney Forster, Matthew James Rowe, Gary Chan, Kelly Marie Mahar, Jennifer Mon Yee Fung
  • Publication number: 20120040421
    Abstract: The invention provides methods for producing Lactate by anaerobic Fermentation. According to particular methods of the invention, Lactate is produced by anaerobic fermentation of a substrate comprising hydrogen and carbon monoxide.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 10, 2011
    Publication date: February 16, 2012
    Applicant: Lanza Tech New Zealand Limited
    Inventor: Sean Dennis Simpson
  • Patent number: 8094038
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer-readable media are disclosed for providing location-specific information. One such method includes receiving location information corresponding to communication devices. The location information is determined based on characteristics of Internet communications and/or mobile wireless communications of the communication devices. A determination is then made based on the location information that a communication device is located within a certain remote area. Location-specific information that is based on the remote area is then transmitted to the communication device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2012
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
    Inventors: Hong Thi Nguyen, Michael Sean Denny
  • Publication number: 20110294177
    Abstract: The invention relates to improvements in the production of alcohols by microbial fermentation, particularly to production of alcohols by microbial fermentation of substrates comprising CO. It more particularly relates to the provision of an improved fermentation media, comprising nickel, to a fermentation system such that one or more micro-organisms convert a substrate comprising CO to one or more alcohols, such as ethanol. In particular embodiments, a microbial culture is provided with at least 10 ?M nickel, such that CO uptake by the microbial culture increases and ethanol productivity improves.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 30, 2009
    Publication date: December 1, 2011
    Applicant: Lanza Tech New Zealand Limited
    Inventors: Sean Dennis Simpson, Ian Lindstrand Warner, Jennifer Mon Yee Eung, Michael Kopke
  • Publication number: 20110281336
    Abstract: The present invention relates to methods for sustaining a microbial culture during periods of limited substrate supply. In accordance with the methods of the invention a microbial culture comprising carboxydotrophic bacteria can be sustained during periods of limited substrate supply by maintaining the temperature of the microbial culture at a temperature below an optimum operating temperature.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 23, 2010
    Publication date: November 17, 2011
    Applicant: LANZATECH NEW ZEALAND LIMITED
    Inventors: Sean Dennis Simpson, Christophe Collet, Bakir Al-Sinawi
  • Publication number: 20110275053
    Abstract: The invention relates to the production of products such as alcohols and acids by microbial fermentation, particularly microbial fermentation of substrates comprising CO. It more particularly relates to methods and systems for improving efficiency of products by microbial fermentation. In particular embodiments, the invention provides a method of optimising production of desired products including the step of ascertaining the proportion of CO converted to CO2.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 29, 2010
    Publication date: November 10, 2011
    Applicant: Lanza Tech New Zealand Limited
    Inventors: Sean Dennis Simpson, Joseph Henry Tizard
  • Publication number: 20110256600
    Abstract: The invention provides a recombinant microorganism capable of producing one or more products by fermentation of a substrate comprising CO, wherein the microorganisms has an increased tolerance to ethanol. The invention also provides, inter alia, methods for the production of ethanol and one or more other products from a substrate comprising CO.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2011
    Publication date: October 20, 2011
    Applicant: LanzaTech New Zealand Limited
    Inventors: Sean Dennis Simpson, Michael Koepke, FungMin Liew
  • Publication number: 20110244538
    Abstract: The invention relates to the microbial fermentation of gaseous substrates, particularly to gas/liquid contact modules and bioreactors configured to improve the efficiency of fermentations, particularly microbial fermentations of substrates comprising CO. In a particular embodiment, a gas/liquid contact module with multiple channels is configured to produce products in a liquid fermentation broth. In a further particular embodiment, there is provided a method of fermentation of a gaseous substrate to produce a product in a liquid fermentation broth.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 3, 2010
    Publication date: October 6, 2011
    Inventors: Simon Richard Trevethick, Jason Carl Bromiey, Sean Dennis Simpson, Vinod Khosla